Development Of Nuclear Power Research Articles

Synergistic modulation of interfacial and coordination microenvironment for highly efficient uranium extraction

Extracting uranium from wastewater is highly essential for addressing environmental pollution and sustainable development of nuclear power. However, the design and synthesis of functional adsorbents for selective and rapid uranium adsorption remains extremely challenging. Herein, we report the synthesis of a functionalized hyper-cross-linked polymers (PHCP-Q) via an interfacial and coordination microenvironment synergistic modulation strategy for efficient uranium adsorption. The generated interfacial hydrophilic microenvironment allows the rapid migration of uranyl from the solution to the adsorbent and thus enables fast adsorption kinetics. Meanwhile, the fine-tuned coordination microenvironment within pore space creates the hexa-coordinated nano-pocket structure and thereby enhances the selective recognition of uranyl. Remarkably, PHCP-Q achieves adsorption equilibrium within simply 60 min and shows high saturation U(VI) adsorption uptake of 608.95 mg/g. More importantly, PHCP-Q with the cooperation of binding sites exhibits the highest distribution coefficient by an order of magnitude compared with that of other PHCPs. Besides, PHCP-Q possesses good physicochemical stability and recyclability. This study provides a new insight into the future design of highly effective uranium adsorbents by synergistically modulating interfacial and coordination microenvironment, which can be extended to the extraction of other target ions.

The Preparation of a Polyamidoxime-Phosphorylated Cellulose Nanofibrils Composite Aerogel for the Selective Extraction of Uranium from Seawater.

Uranium is the most important fuel for nuclear power operations, and the safe supply of its resources is the key to the development of nuclear power in China. Because of the complex seawater environment and extremely low uranium concentration, extracting uranium from natural seawater poses a significant challenge. In this study, a polyamidoxime-phosphorylated cellulose nanofibril composite aerogel was prepared as an adsorbent for uranium extraction from seawater. An adsorption kinetics test, equilibrium adsorption isotherm model fitting, an adsorption-desorption cycle test, and a selectivity test were carried out to evaluate the adsorption performance of the composite aerogel for uranium extraction. The adsorption capacities for the initial concentrations of 4 and 8 ppm in uranium-spiked pure water were 96.9 and 204.3 mg-U/g-Ads, respectively. The equilibrium uranium adsorption capacities of uranium-spiked simulated seawater were 38.9 and 51.7 mg-U/g-Ads, respectively. The distribution coefficient KD of uranium was calculated to be 2.5 × 107 mL/g. The results show that the polyamidoxime-phosphorylated cellulose nanofiber composite aerogels prepared in this study have the advantages of low cost and high uranium selectivity for uranium extraction from seawater.

Advanced development of nuclear power as a factor in ensuring sustainable development of humanity

Advanced development of nuclear power as a factor in ensuring sustainable development of humanity

China's nuclear power in the context of decarbonization of the global energy industry

The global structure of energy resource consumption is analyzed. It is shown that the total consumption of energy resources in the 20th century increased almost 15 times and amounted to about 118 PWh in 2000. Of these, more than 80% were fossil (natural) energy carriers, 13 % were renewable energy sources and more than 6 % were nuclear power. This trend has continued for many years. Renewable energy sources and nuclear power are projected to dominate the growth of global energy consumption, meeting on average more than 90 % of the additional demand. China ranks first in the world in terms of GDP and the rate of development of the electric power complex, as well as in terms of production volume and the rate of development of nuclear power. The structure of electricity generation by fuel type in countries (TOP 5, 2021) with high energy consumption has been analyzed. It is shown that the main players in this market are three countries: China (30 %), USA (13 %) and India (6 %). The volume of electricity production in China is almost three times larger than in the EU countries and almost 7 times larger than in Russia. The structure of nuclear energy and China's achievements in this field are considered. It is shown that in the context of nuclear technologies (creation of fourth-generation reactors, development of technologies close to the full closed cycle of nuclear waste processing) China is already ready to significantly expand the scope of nuclear energy. Special attention is paid to the safety of nuclear facilities operations. The main problem China will face is the absence of an insurmountable barrier between civilian and military use of such technologies. This poses a serious threat to the ecology and life safety of the country. In the long term, nuclear power must also solve the problem of safe, long-term disposal of radioactive waste. It is shown that in the future China needs to re-examine its nuclear program in the context of cooperation with International Nuclear Security Organizations.

Research Progress and Prospect on Profile Roll Forming Methods and Equipment

Abstract: In recent years, with the development of aerospace, automotive, rolling stock, shipbuilding, military weapons and other industries, the demand for bent and rolled parts is increasing, and the requirements for roll forming accuracy are growing. With the rapid development of coal power, hydropower, nuclear power, wind power, and petrochemical industries, the design and research on roll bending machine and the profile roll forming methods have come into focus. The purpose of this study is to summarize the classification and characteristics of roll bending equipment, analyze the reasons that affect the accuracy of profile bending, and propose specific solutions. This paper summarizes the research status and patents on the existing roll bending equipment, introduces its structural characteristics, differences, and molding effects, and focuses on the difficulties, optimization, and improvement methods of roll bending molding. In this paper, the mechanical structures of the existing roll forming equipment have been analyzed and compared, the effects of different roll forming equipment on the profile bending results have been determined, and the reasons affecting the bending accuracy have been pointed out. By summarizing the patents and research on profile roll forming methods and equipment, the current situation and future research prospects of roll forming equipment are discussed. The roll forming equipment is divided into a roll bending machine, a CNC roll bending machine, and a flexible roll bending machine. Each design can meet different profile processing needs. From the design point of view, the optimization under the given processing profile can achieve relatively high processing accuracy. However, the processing of different profiles will still produce geometric defects, and there is some space for improvement in the structure of roll forming equipment, the materials of processing rollers, and the NC interactive system. Thus, further research on profile roll forming is needed in the future.

‘Welcome to Dounreay’: Ideological narratives of hospitality at the Dounreay visitor centre, c.1960–2007

Dounreay Nuclear Power Development Establishment (NPDE) was built in the far north-east of Scotland due to the possible ‘misbehaviour’ of the technology and the dangerous nature of the materials involved. From 1960 to the eve of decommissioning in 2007, despite numerous health and safety issues across the Dounreay nuclear facility, a visitor centre operated there. Initially, its purpose was to satisfy public curiosity and provide information about the atomic work being undertaken. From the 1970s, however, the objective of the Dounreay visitor centre shifted, to focus on overcoming public objections to nuclear power. Archive material made available by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) was analysed according to themes addressed in the literature review. Findings reveal an ideological narrative curated by the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) and presented to the public via exhibitions, brochures, hands-on displays and outreach activities. At the visitor centre, Dounreay and its associated technologies were simplified, ‘banalized’, via a narrative that sought to frame an inhospitable destination (Dounreay) as a safe, welcoming and hospitable place to visit.

Amine-Terminated Phenanthroline Diimides as Aqueous Masking Agents for Am(III)/Eu(III) Separation: An Alternative Ligand Design Strategy for Water-Soluble Lanthanide/Actinide Chelating Ligands.

Selective actinide coordination (from lanthanides) is critical for both nuclear waste management and sustainable development of nuclear power. Hydrophilic ligands used as masking agents to withhold actinides in the aqueous phase are currently highly pursued, while synthetic accessibility, water solubility, acid resistance, and extraction capability are the remaining problems. Most reported hydrophilic ligands are only effective at low acidity. We recently proved that the phenanthroline diimide skeleton was an efficient building block for the construction of highly efficient acid-resistant hydrophilic lanthanide/actinide separation agents, while the limited water solubility hindered the loading capability of the ligand. Herein, amine was introduced as the terminal solubilizing group onto the phenanthroline diimide backbone, which after protonation in acid showed high water solubility. The positively charged terminal amines enhanced the ligand water solubility to a large extent, which, on the other side, was believed to be detrimental for the coordination and complexation of the metal cations. We showed that by delicately adjusting the alkyl chain spacing, this intuitive disadvantage could be relieved and superior extraction performances could be achieved. This work holds significance for both hydrophilic lanthanide/actinide separation ligand design and, concurrently, offers insights into the development of water-soluble lanthanide/actinide complexes for biomedical and bioimaging applications.

Research Progress on Iodine Capture by Covalent Organic Framework Materials

With the development of nuclear power, the removal of radionuclides is an important responsibility and task. Radioactive iodine, as one of the most radionuclide in nuclear wastes, its safe disposal is essential to ensure the sustainable development of the nuclear industry. Covalent organic framework materials are crystalline organic porous materials, which were constructed by covalent bonds. Because of their regular pore structure, large surface area and high chemical stability, covalent organic framework materials are selected as an ideal iodine capturing materials due to their structural characteristics and the adsorption sites of covalent organic framework materials. In this paper, the research progress of covalent organic framework materials in iodine capture was briefly reviewed. Meanwhile, the prospect of high efficiency iodine-capture covalent organic framework materials on industrialized application is predicted.

The development of the international nuclear power plant construction market in the context of nuclear power social acceptability research

Aim. To determine the vector of influence of public opinion on the prospects of development of the international market of nuclear power plant (NPP) construction in the conditions of global energy transition and to formulate the most priority directions of communication work in order to increase the Russian export of nuclear power technologies in the markets of developing countries.Objectives. To identify the current trends of social acceptability of nuclear power in the world; to consider a number of tools used to work with public opinion in the field of improving the reputation of nuclear power in countries-importers of nuclear power technologies; to substantiate the importance of communication work in order to increase Russian exports of nuclear power technologies in the markets of developing countries.Methods. Data from various sociological surveys were used to analyze the current state of social acceptability of nuclear power plants. The key methods of this study are comparative method and case study method.Results. The analysis of the international experience of society’s influence on energy policy has shown that it is impossible to implement international projects in the field of NPP construction without public support for the initiative on nuclear power development. The analysis revealed that one of the competitive advantages of ROSATOM in the international NPP construction market is the inclusion of public communication work in the export offer. Based on the analysis of the results of sociological surveys, it was found out that within the framework of communication work with the public in the importer country it is reasonable to emphasize the economic benefits of NPP operation and continuity of its functioning.Conclusions. The article shows the possibilities of increasing the Russian export of nuclear power technologies in the markets of developing countries, due to the global trend to increase the social acceptability of nuclear power and the presence of relevant competitive advantages, including within the framework of the implementation of communication strategy.

Dual-functional metal-organic frameworks-based hydrogel micromotor for uranium detection and removal

Self-propelled micro/nanomotors have attracted great attention for environmental remediation, however, their use for radioactive waste detection and removal has not been addressed. Engineered micromotors that are able to combine fast detection and highly adsorptive capability are promising tools for radioactive waste management but remain challenging. Herein, we design self-propelled micromotors based on zeolite imidazolate framework (ZIF-8)-hydrogel composites via inverse emulsion polymerization and show their potential for efficient uranium detection and removal. The incorporation of magnetic ferroferric oxide nanoparticles enables the magnetic recycling and actuation of the single micromotors as well as formation of swarms of worm-like or tank-treading structure. Benefited from the enhanced motion, the micromotors show fast and high-capacity uranium adsorption (747.3 mg g−1), as well as fast uranium detection based on fluorescence quenching. DFT calculation confirms the strong binding between carboxyl groups and uranyl ions. The combination of poly(acrylic acid-co-acrylamide) with ZIF-8 greatly enhances the fluorescence of the micromotor, facilitating the high-resolution fluorescence detection. A low detection limit of 250 ppb is reached by the micromotors. Such self-propelled micromotors provide a new strategy for the design of smart materials in remediation of radioactive wastewater.

Ionic Polyimine-Based Composite Membrane with Inductive and Complexation Synergistic Effects for Sensitive and On-Site Fluorescent Detection of Volatile Iodine.

Along with the development of nuclear power, concerns about radioactive emissions and the potential for nuclear leakage have been widely raised, particularly of harmful iodine isotopes. However, as a significant component of nuclear air waste, the enrichment and detection of air-dispersed gaseous iodine remain a challenge. In this work, it is focused on developing an attraction-immobilization-detection strategy-based fluorescence method for the on-site detection of volatile iodine, by employing a photoluminescent ionic polyimine network-polyvinylpyrrolidone (IPIN-PVP) composite membrane. This strategy synergizes ion-induced dipole interactions from IPIN and complexation effects from PVP, allowing effective iodine enrichment and immobilization. As a result, the optimized IPIN-PVP membrane exhibits rapid response times of 5 s and a low detection limit of 4.087 × 10-8m for gaseous iodine. It also introduces a portable handheld detection device that utilizes the composite membrane, offering a practical solution for real-time on-site detection of volatile iodine. This innovation enhances nuclear safety measures and disaster management by providing rapid and reliable iodine detection capabilities.

Highly efficient removal of Sr2+ from aqueous solutions using a polyacrylic acid/crown-ether/graphene oxide hydrogel composite.

With the development of nuclear power, efficiently treating nuclear wastes generated during operation has attracted extensive attention. Hydrogels are common adsorbent materials in the treatment of wastewater due to their high swelling rate and easy post-treatment. In this work, a novel polyacrylic acid/crown-ether/graphene oxide (PAA/DB18C6/GO) hydrogel composite was synthesized by a radical cross-linking copolymerization method and characterized using various analytical tools such as SEM, FT-IR, TGA and XPS. The effects of time, pH, initial Sr2+ concentration, and temperature on Sr2+ adsorption onto the PAA/DB18C6/GO were studied. The PAA/DB18C6/GO shows a high adsorption capacity of 379.35 mg g-1 at an initial Sr2+ concentration of 772 mg L-1 due to the unique structure of dibenzo-18-crown-ether-6 and high swelling. The composite has a high selectivity for Sr2+ with a removal rate of 82.4% when concentrations of Na+ and K+ were 10 times higher than that of Sr2+. The pH and temperature have no apparent impact on adsorption performance of the PAA/DB18C6/GO under the experimental conditions. The composite shows excellent reusability with more than 92% removal rate for Sr2+ after five continuous cycles. In addition, the mechanism of Sr2+ adsorption by PAA/DB18C6/GO was analyzed by fitting the adsorption data to the theoretical models and XPS data.

Nanoscale zero-valent iron composites for uranium-contaminated water treatment and environmental remediation: A review

With the development of nuclear power and the nuclear industry, some uranium-containing wastewater will inevitably be released into the environment, which poses a threat to human health and the environment....

Development of Lead-Based Reactor Marine Nuclear Power

Development of Lead-Based Reactor Marine Nuclear Power

Радиологическая безопасность населения и персонала при двухкомпонентной ядерной энергетике

The Fundamentals of State Policy in the Field of Nuclear and Radiation Safety of the Russian Federation, approved by the President of the Russian Federation, indicate that the goal of state policy in this area is to ensure the protection of the population, considering modern requirements. The IAEA Fundamental Safety Principles emphasize the need to protect both current and future generations from radiation risks. The achievement of these safety goals is ensured by the development in Russia of new nuclear energy system based on a closed nuclear fuel cycle (CNFC) and fast neutron reactors (FNR). One of the objects of the new nuclear energy system is the Experimental Demonstration Energy Complex (EDEC) consisting of the BREST-OD-300 FNR, a reprocessing module and a fuel fabrication/refabrication module, located on the territory of JSC «SHK» in the Tomsk region. This article provides assessments of radiation carcinogenic risks for the population living in the 30-km zone of JSC «SHK» under normal operating conditions and for workers after potential emergency situations at EDEC facilities. The conditions for ensuring the protection of future generations of people are also justified. Radiation risk assessments are obtained directly from the dynamics of equivalent doses in human organs and tissues and modern risk models recommended by ICRP Publication 103. The predicted values of the risks of radiation carcinogenesis for the population and personnel are significantly lower than the current limits of NRB-99/2009 for both normal operation and potential exposure during accidents. It has been shown that transmutation of minor actinides during the development of CNFC based on FNR ensures the safety of future generations of people: it reduces the carcinogenic risk of americium by 213 times, neptunium by 101 times, and curium by 47 times. The effect of radiological equivalence of radioactive waste and natural uranium raw materials is achieved after 99 years of radioactive waste storage. Thus, the priority direction for the development of new nuclear power is the energy sector of the CNFC based on the FNR.

Pathway Planning of Nuclear Power Development Incorporating Assessment of Nuclear Event Risk

Pathway Planning of Nuclear Power Development Incorporating Assessment of Nuclear Event Risk

Fabrication of Carboxylate-Functionalized 2D MOF Nanosheet with Caged Cavity for Efficient and Selective Extraction of Uranium from Aqueous Solution.

The efficient removal of radioactive uranium from aqueous solution is of great significance for the safe and sustainable development of nuclear power. An ultrathin 2D metal-organic framework (MOF) nanosheet with cavity structures was elaborately fabricated based on a calix[4]arene ligand. Incorporating the permanent cavity structures on MOF nanosheet can fully utilize its structural characteristics of largely exposed surface area and accessible adsorption sites in pollutant removal, achieving ultrafast adsorption kinetics, and the functionalized cavity structure would endow the MOF nanosheets with the ability to achieve preconcentration and extraction of uranium from aqueous solution, affording ultrahigh removal efficiency even in ultra-low concentrations. Thus, more than 97% uranium can be removed from the concentration range of 50-500µgL-1 within 5min. Moreover, the 2D nano-material exhibits ultra-high anti-interference ability, which can efficiently remove uranium from groundwater and seawater. The adsorption mechanism was investigated by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) analysis, and density functional theory (DFT) calculations, which revealed that the cavity structure plays an important role in uranium capture. This study not only realizes highly efficient uranium removal from aqueous solution but also opens the door to achieving ultrathin MOF nanosheets with cavity structures, which will greatly expand the applications of MOF nanosheets.

Room temperature synthesis of piperazine-based nitrogen-rich porous organic polymers for efficient iodine adsorption

The proper management of radioactive iodine waste generated from nuclear energy has become one of the challenges in the sustainable development of nuclear power. With the continuous development of POPs materials, their high-efficiency iodine adsorption performance has been demonstrated to be related to the material's structural units and porous structure. In light of this, three two-dimensional porous organic polymers were synthesized using environmentally friendly non-metallic catalyzed coupling reactions. Their excellent chemical stability and nitrogen-rich porous structure endowed them with the ability to exhibit outstanding capture performance and recyclability in various media. Its iodine adsorption performance reached 3.81 g/g, 3.55 g/g and 3.19 g/g respectively. The research results provide a potential pathway for the design and synthesis of organic porous polymers with good chemical stability and iodine adsorption performance, showcasing the significant potential of POP-PDTE, POP-PDTK, and POP-PDTB in capturing radioactive pollutants.

A new strategy of Al0.1CoCrFeNi high entropy alloys and Inconel 625 alloys joining technology

A new strategy that utilizes the nano-multilayer foils with a high-entropy design as the filler metal to join the Al0.1CoCrFeNi and Inconel 625 alloy dissimilar materials was proposed, which provides theoretical and technical guidance for the development of aerospace technology and nuclear power. The coexistence of the nano-multilayer foils with a high-entropy design was envisaged to improve the role of mixing entropy and retard the atomic diffusion between the filler metal and base metals, inhibiting the formation of intermetallic compounds. To give a theoretical analysis of the phase evolution of the joint and verify the feasibility of this strategy, joining of the Al0.1CoCrFeNi and Inconel 625 alloy with Ni/Al nano-multilayer reaction foils, CrNi/CoFe nano-multilayer films, and Al foils as the filler was performed. The result showed that a defect-free brazing joint was formed and solid solution phase then occurred from solid solution reaction accompanied by solid solution strengthening effect to the joint as the temperature increased. The shear tests showed the highest shear strength (203.5 MPa) can be obtained. Additionally, prolonging the holding time and increasing brazing temperature made the shear strength of joint increase gradually and the fracture mechanism of the joint transformed from the inter-granular fracture to the trans-granular fracture. This effort offers a novel process for brazing Inconel 625 alloys and Al0.1CoCrFeNi, opening up a neo-field in the production of HEAs-related joints.

Efficient removal of U(VI) from aqueous solution by hydroxyapatite/graphene oxide composite microspheres

Abstract Effective treatment of uranium-containing wastewater is of great significance to the sustainable development of nuclear power and the protection of ecological environment. In this study, a highly efficient uranium adsorbent, graphene oxide (GO)/nano-hydroxyapatite (nHA) composite microspheres (nHA@rGO) was synthesized, which could effectively remove uranium from aqueous solution. Under the condition of pH = 3.5, T = 298 K, the maximum adsorption capacity reached 1672.96 mg/g. The results of batch experiments showed that the adsorption capacity of nHA@rGO microspheres was higher than that of nHA microspheres, indicating the enhancement of GO. The adsorption kinetics conformed to the pseudo second-order model. The changes of nHA@rGO microspheres before and after uranium adsorption were analyzed by FT-IR, XPS and XRD. The mechanisms of U(VI) ions adsorption onto nHA@rGO microspheres involved precipitation, surface complexation and ion exchange, in which the hydroxyl and phosphoric acid groups played important roles. The results showed that the prepared nHA@rGO microspheres can be used as an efficient and promising adsorbent for the treatment of uranium-containing wastewater.